Oh Captain, My Captain
by AzmariaHarmony
Summary: CP Coulter's Daltonverse. A very accurate and not at all biased account of Dwight Houston's experience as prefect. Contains Dalton and Glee season four spoilers. For Dalton Big Bang event.
1. A Prefect's Duty

_Hello Darlings, Margot (studyofmylife) here. This is my submission to the Dalton Big Bang! There will be mentions and hints to pairings, but one pairing is not the sole purpose. These pairings will include: Blain/Kurt, Logan/Julian, Sebastian/Julian, Sadie/Laura, Hunter/Sebastian, Dwight/Laura, Shane/Reed etc._

_All the Dalton characters (including Clay Rizzo, Kaelan White, Neil O'Connor, Terrence Gibson, Gavin Brigham, Parker Lawerence, etc.) belong to Mama CP._

_Any of the characters not listed in the Alfalfa Academy website are my OCs._

_Please Enjoy!_

_-._

"I can't do this."

"Oh no. Don't you start this now. It is too late to back out at this point, Dwight."

"But what if I'm not good enough?! What if I'm the worst prefect in Windsor history since the prefect of

1987? He has a _nickname_; he was that bad!

A snort. "Can I ask what the nickname was?"

"Sitting Duck Chuck."

A stifled giggle.

"Not helping, Sadie!"

"Look, I know you won't be that bad. Who was the one who told that old lady that we were hipster photographers when we were exorcising that hundred year old manor _and_ provided legit looking business cards?"

"…Me."

"Right, and who snuck Luke and Kelly out of that pageant by setting off firecrackers under the punch table?"

"…Me."

"Right, so you have nothing to be worried about. They chose you for a reason. Now quit your bellyaching and help me find something nice looking. I'm meeting Laura in twenty minutes!"

"Fine, but only because I owe you…"

"Thanks."

-.-

Chapter One  
A Prefect's Duty

-.-

"Students, please! File this way!" Dean Ramsey called out over the loud and squirrely freshman. They were going through orientation before being divided up in their respected houses. Dwight pushed his way through, using his book bag as a body shield. His newly obtained prefect badge was clenched tightly in his fist as he hurried along. He still wasn't sure about this whole prefect thing, but he had won the vote by a landslide. Even last year's seniors seemed pleased that he had gotten it. The Windsor doors were wide open as Dwight entered, stuffing the pin into his pocket.

Windsor House was a flurry of sophomores, juniors, and seniors, moving their suitcases into their assigned rooms. Dwight grabbed both his trunk and suitcase, about to head upstairs.

"Need any help?" a familiar voice came from behind him. Todd Hendricks gave him a half smile and lifted the other side of his trunk. The two seniors made their way upstairs, keeping to one side as other Windsors sprinted up and down the elegant wooden staircase like a pack of caffeinated monkeys.

"So, a room to yourself this year, huh?" Todd asked, grinning at Dwight, who rolled his eyes.

"Yeah. More room to myself, so I don't go nuts," Dwight huffed. Todd chuckled and set the trunk down once they made it upstairs. The prefect room was front and center on the second floor and in the middle of everything. Almost nothing could get by. Almost.

"You're already nuts, Dwight," Todd replied easily, making the other huff again and mumble that he was the only sane one in Dalton.

"Who is your roommate this year?" Dwight asked, lugging his giant trunk and suitcase inside his room. A single bed was pushed against a sidewall, the desk on the other side, overlooking the window.

"Shane," Todd said, grimacing. Said senior was lying face down in the middle of their shared room, moaning Shakespearian level soliloquys on how the "light of his life" had been "snuffed out for all of eternity", even though the so called "light" was only a few states away, attending New York University. Dwight nodded sympathetically.

"He'll discover Skype and get over it within the week," Dwight replied.

"Speaking of which, I heard you broke up with Laura after the end of last school year," Todd said, raising an eyebrow. Dwight seemed very head over heels for the British girl for the majority of the junior year, well, at least, for Dwight (i.e. he talked about something other than demons for once).

"It was mutual thing," Dwight said, feeling awkward talking about his dating life. It wasn't something he really put high on his priority list. "Grew distant, saw each other as friends more, she started liking someone else, that kind of thing. Also, I was getting tired of receiving death threats from Justin Bancroft at two in the morning."

"That's rough," Todd sympathized. A shout from Howard yanked their attention back to the rambunctious house on the other side of the doorway.

"The freshmen are here," Dwight groaned, looking at the doorway as if there was a particularly nasty poltergeist beyond it.

"Wait, where's your badge?" Todd asked, and Dwight pulled it out of his pocket. Todd snatched it from his palm and buttoned it next to the Windsor pin. "You can do this. Most of us have faith in you."

Dwight gave him a withering glare and turned on his heel. "Let's do this," he muttered, straightening his blazer before flouncing out the door. A crowd of freshman stood waiting in the entrance area on the first floor, watching him with wide eyes. The others stood on the stairway or looking over the balcony, but all eyes were on him. Windsor was uncharacteristically silent.

"You can do it, Dwight," a couple of juniors murmured as he passed.

"Go get 'em Captain," Christopher Green said with a small smirk. Getting another freshman like him was what Dwight was afraid of. Christopher had been sweet, quiet, and nothing short of angelic for the entire first semester. The second semester was when he showed his true colors. He was manipulative, snarky, and always managed to insult people without them realizing at first that they had been insulted. Dwight was convinced that he was the spawn of Satan, and/or a distant relative of Logan Wright.

Dwight took a deep breath as he stepped off the staircase. Howard gave him a nod but eyed him suspiciously. Dwight had caused too much property damage in his earlier years not to be distrusted at first. He remembered Charlie getting the same look a couple of years before.

"Welcome to Windsor House," Dwight began, trying to appear somewhat mature even though his reputation proceeded him a good twenty feet. "Here, we pride ourselves in not limiting ourselves by boundaries, not only in academics, but in our passions." A muffled snicker from a junior, which was silenced quickly by Howard's cold glare.

"Windsor is different from the other houses. Academics are not everything, as you will see from… another house." Howard gave him a warning look. Prefects were technically not allowed to bash other houses, so they had to be more discreet about it.

"We will do our best not to just help you achieve success here at Dalton, but to go the extra mile, the extra ten percent." Blaine and Charlie had written most of the speech on their insistence. Apparently, they were worried about him not giving a good speech, which was utter bullshit, but it made Dwight's life a little easier. He had been fighting a particularly malignant poltergeist at the time and couldn't be bothered with prefect speeches.

"That is what we stand for here at Windsor, because at Windsor House," the students behind him chimed in, "we break the bounds!"

-.-

Dwight flopped on the bed, a cup of warming Ramen in one hand. With Kurt graduated, Windsor would have to go back to eating like a broke college student or eat in the cafeteria, which Dwight didn't have the energy for. His phone buzzed with a new text. Bailey's name flashed on the screen, and the prefect frowned at having his lunch interrupted. Honestly, were all Stuarts blessed with horrible timing?

'How was ur orientation? ' the text read, and Dwight texted back a 'fine'. Unlike him, Bailey Tipton was somewhat excited about being a prefect and approached the daunting position with more optimism than any other prefect before him had. To be honest, Dwight thought he was well suited for the role. He was the least insane out of the entire house, past and present.

Dwight opened his laptop, hoping he could start watching Supernatural's season eight premier, which was in no way illegally downloaded from some shady foreign website. A knock came at the door before Dwight could press play. Clay Rizzo entered before Dwight could answer, a lazy expression on his face.

"Just so you know, one of the freshmen set fire to his roommate's hair," he said casually as if he was talking about what song he liked best. Dwight cursed and almost threw down his cup of noodles.

"For fuck's sake! Already?! It's the first goddamn day." he hissed, yanking the fire extinguisher from the wall. He stormed down the hall, a look that screamed murder on his face. Heads were going to roll.

-.-

"Yes, hello? This is Dwight Houston speaking about my usual shipment of fifty pounds of rock salt? Yes, I can wait." Dwight sighed as he leaned against the banister. Most of the freshman had already filtered into their rooms. His stomach growled with a need to be fed, but Dwight ignored it. This came first.

"Is this Windsor House?" a small voice came from the door. Dwight looked up and felt his heart stop. He could hear Evan and Ethan's cackling replaying repeatedly in the back of his head as he stared at the horror in front of him. He thought he was done with this the moment that those… _devils_ had collected their diplomas!

"Mr. Houston?" The voice came from his phone, and Dwight snapped his gaping mouth shut.

"Yes, you know my usual order? Double it," Dwight replied meekly before hanging up. He stared in a mix of horror and shock at the identical, not twins, but _triplets_.

"I'm Cory, and these are my brothers Caden and Cole," the one in the middle spoke up. "Sorry we're late," they finished in perfect synchronization. Dwight numbly handed them their room assignment and keys. Todd later found him in fetal position in the hallway, rocking back and forth, muttering, "Not again… Dear Castiel, not again."

-.-

"Get your feet off the couch," Bailey said automatically, fiddling with the iPad in his hands. Sebastian Smythe smirked and dramatically set his feet down on the floor.

"Stop being such a stick in the mud. I thought Wright had graduated already," Sebastian whined, and Bailey sent him a pointed glare.

"This is why I was elected prefect and not you," he grumbled. Students were still filing in silently and stopping by the two at the mahogany table by the entrance to get their room assignment before dragging their luggage in. Sebastian had joined him for some (unwelcome) company. The Parisian boy just smirked and stretched a little on the table.

"How much longer? I'm itching to get one of those lattes at the Lima Bean," Sebastian yawned. Bailey pursed his lips, irritated.

"You can go at any time," he said shortly, hoping Sebastian would take up his advice for once. The other just shrugged, and stayed put, of course. The door opened, and a tall handsome young man, who was obviously not a freshman, stepped in. Sebastian immediately straightened up, as if his marionette strings had been pulled on.

"Hi, are you a transfer?" Bailey asked, a warm and polite smile on his face, holding out a hand to shake. The new boy nodded, shaking his hand and returning the smile, though it didn't reach his green eyes. There was something off about the transfer student. He seemed cold, distant… almost as if he was sizing them up and seeing how useful they would be to them. "I'm Bailey Tipton, the House prefect. And this is— "

"Sebastian Smythe," the other boy cut in coolly, also shaking his hand. "Pleasure." A flirtatious smile spread across his face as his eyes travelled up and down the transfer student's well-built body, and Bailey inwardly groaned. The new student raised an eyebrow when he noticed (as anyone would, seeing how obvious Sebastian made it), but didn't say a word. The prefect handed the transfer the iPad to check in himself with, so that he could properly glare at Sebastian and poke him harshly in the side. The transfer student handed back the iPad and picked up his bags.

"Ah… I didn't quite catch your name," Bailey started, about to stand up. The transfer looked back at them and gave them a small smirk.

"It's Hunter. Hunter Clarington."


	2. Down To Business

_Hahaha! I hath returned! I'm hoping to make this chapter longer than the first, which is why it took I while. Also, my motivation lies solely in designer clothes and coffee, so get used to it._

_If you want to know, I have the list of all the universities (not official; it's my headcanon) that the Dalton Class of 2012 goes. Feel free to PM me if you want it!_

_I hope you enjoy this! Mama CP owns all the Dalton characters minus the canon characters._

_-.-_

"Hey, Dwight! You finally picked up!"

"…. You texted me ten times, Blaine, and called five. Are you expecting that the gates of hell will open up underneath Windsor? I'm not that stupid, plus I know all the seals by heart…"

"That's great Dwight. How's everything? Stuart's not acting up?"

"Bailey's the new prefect. He's calmer than Buddha. I don't think we'll have much trouble this year."

"That's good… Did you get Kurt's care package?"

"Yes, Blaine. Jesus, you're as bad as Charlie after he graduated."

"Alright. Just— stay safe, Dwight."

"I will, Blaine, I promise."

"See you around, Windsor prefect!"

"Still sounds weird…."

-.-

Chapter Two  
Down To Business

-.-

The chests of the freshman fluttered as their stared with wide eyes at the upperclassmen and their prefect, as if they wondered what horrible mistake they just made by choosing to board in Windsor. They huddled together like frightened puppies, and one or two whimpered. The braver ones looked as if they were about to open a can of whoop ass on whoever came within a five foot radius in their breathing range.

"Congratulations, freshmen!" Dwight's voice boomed, the fire light illuminating his pale face and the Supernatural themed pajama pants that he definitely did _not_ get at Hot Topic. "You have stayed at Windsor for twenty four hours, making your stay here permanent!"

A couple of juniors stepped aside to reveal multiple coolers filled with various refreshments, making the poor freshman relax a little. Nothing calmed teenage boys down more than food packed with sugars and processed so much that it would survive the apocalypse.

"Oooh! Chocolate crème filled Twinkies!"

"Are those homemade chocolate chip cookies?"

"LAY A HAND ON THOSE COOKIES, AND YOU DIE, FRESHMAN."

Dwight opened a can of Coke and handed it to Shane, who was sitting on a log and making a s'more. "Are you over your mourning the loss of—"

"Don't remind me!" Shane declared dramatically, sorrowfully squishing the marshmallow between graham crackers.

"He is not that far, and he has enough money for you to visit every weekend. Stop your moping; you're going to attract poltergeists with all that negative energy," Dwight huffed, sipping. "And because I'm a prefect or something and supposed to act like a mother hen."

Shane grinned and stretched his legs on the cooler he was sitting on. "Warbler try outs are coming up in a couple of days," Shane said around the s'more he was eating.

"Chew with your mouth closed. Were you raised in a barn?" Dwight scolded, and then stopped, frowning at what he just said. He was turning into Blaine and Chaz. That was terrifying. "Anyway, thanks for telling me. I'll be sure to invest in a good pair of sound proof earmuffs."

"You aren't trying out again? But I know you can sing," Shane blinked, and the prefect shrugged, watching the flames dance.

"Show choir isn't my thing," Dwight explained, for the millionth time. All the Windsor Warblers had hounded him last year after his performance at the Hell Night the year before that. It had been a one-time occurrence, for emergencies only. "Plus, between keeping all the evil out of Dalton and keeping Windsor from destroying everything and everyone's sanity, I'll have my plate full. Blaine was pretty stressed by his prefect duties last year."

Shane nodded in agreement and finished his s'more. He chewed, then swallowed before saying, "If it wasn't for all the gel gluing my brother's hair to his head, it would have all fallen out. I think the twins were trying to set some prank record or something. "

The two sat in silence for a moment, watching the other Windsors joke and eat around them. "I can't believe it's actually our senior year," Dwight said softly. Shane looked at him, surprised. Dwight wasn't usually this nostalgic. He had said several times how much he couldn't wait to graduate and be on his own… The world seemed a lot less scary when it wasn't staring you right in the face, when you could fanaticize about what you wanted to be when you grow up.

"And here we are," Shane replied, raising his can of soda with a small grin. Dwight clinked his against Shane's with a matching smile.

"And here we are," he repeated. Suddenly, a teacher started coming over, yelling at them at curfew , and the Windsors scattered like the leaves falling off the trees in autumn.

-.-

"Warbler Tryouts Start Tomorrow! Bring your musicality and prepare a song to perform!" The poster on the bulletin declared loudly in bold print. Dwight sighed heavily, dreading the week to come. He knew what these tryouts involved: loud singing in the hallways, loud singing during class, loud singing in the dormitories, and loud singing while he was trying to sleep. Dwight was starting to wonder if the hopeful-Warblers temporarily turned into sirens throughout the week. If they did, Dwight had no idea where he would get his hands on siren blood to kill them.

Dwight stomped his way to class, mind whirling on how he could get his hands on siren blood… Maybe a fake blood drive, or was that too obvious and/or illegal…?

A couple of other figures sauntered up to the flyer. Well, the taller one sauntered. His companion walked like any normal person.

"Try outs again?" Sebastian read with a smirk. He turned to Bailey. "Are you trying out?

Bailey shrugged, looking at the paper like he really wanted to, but something was holding him back. "I don't know… I mean, Logan managed to Warblers and prefect, but barely."

"Logan was also a shitty prefect," Sebastian huffed. "Quit being a pussy and try out with me!"

Bailey looked up at him with an eyebrow raised. Now, he usually tried to keep out of other people's love affairs, but anyone could've noticed the way Sebastian acted the year previous, especially once Logan and Julian started officially dating. "If I didn't know you better, I'd say you were jealous—"

"I'm not _jealous_ of that asshat!" Sebastian hissed, green eyes flashing with malice. Bailey took a small step back, and Sebastian froze, realizing what he did and quickly composed himself. "I'm sorry," he breathed, turning away from the poster and heading down the hall with Bailey.

"It's fine. I've had worse," Bailey said, smiling warmly at a cluster of Stuart freshman. They smiled shyly back before hurrying off to class.

"I hope that new kid tries out… Hunter, right?" Sebastian said.

"That's right," a silken voice came from behind them and the two screeched to a stop and whirled around to face Hunter Clarington, who smiled pleasantly. Bailey couldn't help the twinge of distrust when he noticed, yet again, that the smile didn't reach his eyes.

"You are?" Sebastian asked, looking beyond thrilled. Bailey pursed his lips at the sudden drop as his so-called friend's IQ, but said nothing. He did turn to Hunter, however, with a stern expression.

"We are a well-regarded group, and you will be up against steep competition," Bailey warned the new student. Hunter's pleasant grin was still on his lips, but a predatory gleam flickered in his eyes.

"It wouldn't be any fun if there wasn't a little competition to heat things up."

-.-

The week marched by, quickly for some people, far too slowly for those around said people. A crowd of hopeful faces, some new, many returning, stood around the auditorium doors. The Warbler Practice Room was far too small to accommodate this large amount of people. The Windsor and Hanover prefect, neither of whom was auditioning, were assigned crowd control while Ms. Medel and her student teacher prepared to start the auditions.

The crowd hushed as the large wooden doors creaked open, and Ms. Medel stood there with a pleasant smile. "Who's ready to begin?" she asked, and the grins on all their faces grew to maximum excitement level.

"We will file quietly into the auditorium. Part of your audition will be how well you are at being an audience. You will be silent, and you will support your peers, not matter what skill level they may be on."

Sebastian rolled his eyes and Bailey elbowed him in the side, though not too hard, while keeping his eyes on the choir teacher.

"As stated before, you can provide your own accompaniment, but do keep in mind that this is an acapella group. Try not to be too dependent on the background music. Let your own voice shine through."

She looked around, giving them all encouraging smiles. "We will call you alphabetically by last name. If we do not get to you by today, we will finish those left tomorrow. Any questions?"

There were none, so the student teacher gestured for the boys to silently file into the auditorium, including the two prefects, who sat in the back and hoped it would be over quickly. The audition process started, and it was soon noticed that most of those auditioning were freshman, and while some were good, many were just decent; neither good nor bad.

"Clarington, Hunter!" Medel called, and the young man stood up and made his way to the stage. Sebastian subtly leaned forward in his seat, interested in what he chose to sing. Hunter took a seat at the piano, being the first to do so by that point. Hunter took a deep breath and started playing. The music was haunting, cold, yet oddly familiar.

"_Welcome to your life…  
There's no turning back.  
Even while we sleep  
We will find you  
Acting on your best behavior,  
Turn your back on Mother Nature  
Everybody wants to rule the world…"_

Sharp inhalations across the room as people suddenly recognized the song. Even Ms. Medel gave a small smile. Turning a song into something different and unique… That was what the Warblers did on an everyday basis, wasn't it?

"_It's my own desire.  
It's my own remorse.  
Help me to decide.  
Help me make the most of freedom,  
And of pleasure  
Nothing ever lasts forever."_

Dwight felt a shiver crawl down his back. This Hunter kid was exceptionally good, better than probably the rest of them, but there was something about him that put Dwight off. A feeling deep down in his gut that he couldn't quite place his finger on, yet felt very familiar… As if he had felt it before.

"_Everybody wants to rule world.  
There's a room where the light won't find you,  
Holding hands while the walls come tumbling down  
When they do, I'll be right behind you  
So glad we've almost made it.  
So sad we had to fade it."_

Sebastian smile only grew as he watched Hunter grand slam his performance. His heart skipped a beat when Hunter's eyes glanced up in his general direction.

"_Everybody wants to rule the world  
Everybody wants to rule the world  
Everybody wants to rule… the world."_

The students rose in a standing ovation at the amazing performance, whooping and cheering, especially Hunter's fellow Stuarts. Even Ms. Medel rose with a big smile, watching the student approvingly. Hunter smiled pleasantly at them before descending the stage and quietly taking his seat. The audition process trudged onward, some of the freshman less sure of the capabilities after Hunter's spectacular on.

"Smythe, Sebastian" Medel called; Sebastian and Bailey then quickly headed onto the stage. Bailey set up his keyboard while Sebastian stood in front of the mic, a confidant smirk glued on his lips. The Stuart Prefect tested the volume for a moment before nodding to Sebastian. He played the first few measures, and then Sebastian started to sing.

_It's been a long time since you came around.  
Been a long time, but I'm back in town.  
This time I'm not leaving without you._

A couple of the older students leaned forward in interest. The previous year, Sebastian had sang "Bad Romance" for his audition. Perhaps he thought Lady Gaga songs were lucky…? Out of the corner of Bailey's eye, however, he noticed Hunter lean forward with an intrigued expression. Whether or not the other students thought Sebastian was a cocky shit, they all had to agree that his singing talent was something that couldn't be denied.

_He said, "Sit back down where you belong  
In the corner of my bar with your high heels on  
Sit back down on the couch were we  
Made love the first time and you said to me_

_Something, something about this place  
Something 'bout the lonely nights and my lipstick on your face  
Something, something about my cool Ohio guy  
Yeah, something about, baby, you and I._

Several cheers went up when Sebastian mentioned Ohio. Several students were clapping along to the beat and Sebastian basked in their praise and awe.

_You and I, you, you and I  
You, you and I, you, you and I, I  
You and I, you, you and I  
Oh yeah, I'd rather die without you and I_

_We got a whole lot of money, but we still pay rent  
'Cause you can't buy a house in heaven  
There's only three men that I'll serve my whole life  
And that's my daddy and Ohio and Jesus Christ._

The cheers rose as Sebastian sang a home run. There were some laughs at Sebastian's "innocent" facial expression and praying hand gesture. His voice rose in power and confidence as he reached the climax.

"_Something, something about the chase (six whole years!)  
I'm a Paris raised man, born to run you down  
So have my lipstick all over your face  
Something, something about just knowing when it's right_

_So put your drinks up for Ohio  
For Ohio, Ohio, I love you_

_You and I, you, you and I  
Baby, I'd rather die without you and I  
You and I, you, you and I  
Ohio, I'd rather die without you and I_

_It's been a long time since I came around  
Been a long time, but I'm back in town  
This time I'm not leaving without you…"_

The cheers rose, accompanied by applause, as Sebastian finished his final note. The Stuart senior had a wide grin on his face as he panted lightly from the singing. It wasn't his usual cocky smirk either, he was wearing a real grin, and Bailey knew that the Parisian boy was completely in his element. The two filed off stage to let a trembling freshman, who lost all of his confidence after Sebastian's performance.

"Well done, Sebastian," Hunter said as the two Stuarts passed by him. Sebastian smiled bright enough to power the entirety of Manhattan at Hunter's compliment.

"Thanks!" He chirped happily and Bailey started to tug on Sebastian's arm when Hunter spoke again.

"Hey, Sebastian? Do you want to sit with us? I was discussing some ideas about what to do for Sectionals," Hunter offered, his entire focus on the tall brunette. Bailey could tell that the invitation was not extended to him, but he tried not to let it bother him.

"Yes, of course!" Sebastian blurted automatically, receiving several shushes from other students in response. He turned to Bailey though. "You don't mind, do you?" he asked softly, and Bailey could tell that he was biting on the inside of his lower lip, something he did only when he was very nervous or excited. Bailey nodded and gently pushed him towards Hunter and the other Stuarts that were sitting around him as if the new student has a gravitational force field.

"Go on," Bailey said, and Sebastian gave him a small grateful smile before joining the others. Hunter made another student move so that Sebastian could sit right next to him. Bailey went to his own seat and started to mentally prepare himself for his own performance, while trying not to let his mind dwell for too long on the empty seat next to him.

-.-

It took another couple of weeks to get the results. The students got another mountain of homework, another couple hundred dollars' worth of coffee was shipped to the Stuart house, and the Windsors "accidentally" de-feathered Mr. Tamerlane's duck when a freshman wanted to try out a new type of "hair/feather" dye. Dwight bought five boxes of migraine medicine. Life continued as usual.

Except, something wasn't usual. Bailey knew that he shouldn't jump to conclusions, especially about someone he barely knew anything about, but he found it odd how popular Hunter had gotten in the past couple of weeks. Even Sebastian was skipping their studying sessions to hang out with Hunter. All the Stuarts were immediately taken by him, and even Bailey could see why. He was charming, yet collected, and seemed to get high marks on all his grades, so far. He was the prime example of a Stuart student, and Bailey wondered how he did it. Even Derek Siegerson was unable to hold that poise and excellence, and he had been valedictorian. However, the was nothing Bailey could prove that was wrong, or off, about Hunter Clarington, so all he could do was observe.

"The List is out!" a student yelled one afternoon, and there was sudden swarm around the auditorium doors. Everyone pushed and shoved to try to see if their name was on the Warbler list. Some walked away, disappointed, while others walked with their chin high and a grin on their faces. Bailey smiled to himself when he saw his own name under Sebastian's name.

"We both made it, of course," Sebastian preened, and Bailey smiled up at him. Sebastian turned to Hunter, who had come up behind them. "Congratulations on getting the captain position!"

Hunter smiled politely at him, but Bailey could tell he was happy about acquiring the captain's position. It was a fairly new concept that was created the year previous to help Ms. Medel out on choosing songs and organizing the Warblers. The captain, chosen for their singing capabilities, and their leadership potential and maturity, were expected to be the role model for all the other Warblers to follow. Blaine Anderson had been their first captain, setting the example, and the bar, for all captains to come.

"Prefect meeting today," Dwight suddenly appeared, grabbing Bailey's elbow and making the Stuart prefect jump a foot in their air.

"Quit doing that!" he huffed, taking deep breaths to slow his racing heart. What Bailey didn't notice was Hunter watching him with a stoic expression before turning to one of the Stuart sophomores.

"Gather the rest of the Stuarts," Hunter said, not taking his eyes off the Stuart leader until the other had rounded a corner and disappeared from sight. "We're going to have a House meeting." The sophomore hurried off, texting furiously.

Sebastian frowned, following the Warbler captain back to Stuart. "But what about Bailey? He's our prefect; shouldn't he be included?"

Hunter turned to him with his perfectly pleasant and charming smile that made the brunette singer's heart skip a beat. "The meeting will be about our prefect."

-.-

Bailey rubbed his temples as he made his way down the hallway from the prefect meeting. Honestly, sixty percent of that meeting was relevant to Windsor only as Howard chewed Dwight out for the incident with Mr. Tamerlane's duck. Dean Ramsey had mentioned that a limit be put on the amount of coffee that Stuart bought since it was taking up a considerable amount of the budget. Bailey almost laughed at that ridiculous idea, but he knew better not to. Stuarts would rather live in a shack that was falling apart than keel over and give up some of their coffee supply. He headed out into the lawn where the shadows stretched long and ominous across the grass as the sun began to set.

Bailey reached out and opened the doors to his dorm, then froze. Every single one of the Stuart members were gathered in the meeting area in the front. Hunter was smiling politely, as usual, but everyone else was solemn or grim. Sebastian's gaze was locked on the floor and his shoulders were hunched. He glanced up at Bailey and the prefect could see the flash of guilt in his eyes before he quickly turned away.

"What's going on?" Bailey asked quietly, almost dreading the answer. He looked at all the faces that had supported him in becoming prefect before or had led through orientation. Not a single student met his gaze, except for one lone young man. Hunter gestured to a seat next to him.

"Sit down, Bailey Tipton. There has been a slight… change in positions," he said quietly, though his words echoed throughout the now cold marble room. After a moment's hesitation, Bailey made his way to the chair and sat down.

-.-

_Sorry this chapter is mostly about Bailey and Sebastian, but it's vital to the plot line.  
Dwight will have more of an appearance in the next chapter as school is in full swing, and there might be some guest appearances from those who have already graduated. Thank you so much for those who have already followed and favorite my story! You are all lovely people and I wish the best in everything for you! To those who reviewed, Dwight is on his way with a hug and a bottle of rock salt for your protection._


	3. A Change in Leadership (Part 1)

_Thank you again for the lovely comments and favorites! You guys are the sweetest ever! Some of the upcoming "episodes" will focus more on Dwight and the Windsors for a short while. Don't worry, Sebastian, Hunter, Bailey, and the rest of the lovely Stuarts aren't disappearing. They just won't be the main focus. Well, anyway, enjoy the third installment!_

_All Daltonverse characters belong to Mama CP. _

-.-

"Jesus Christ… I've been trying to get a hold of you for six damn days!"

"Sorry… It's just… Things have h-happened." A small quiver that didn't go unnoticed on the other line.

"Bailey, what's wrong?"

"…. I'm not prefect any more."

"_What_?!"

"Th-they voted me off… S-said I-I wasn't fit for the tasks. I-I just—"A choked sob.

"Hey, hey. Calm down. Look, I'm not good at this comforting thing, but listen. I promoted you last year for a reason, and a damn good one at that. If they didn't want you as prefect, that is their problem, not yours. "

"Then why do I feel like I failed them?"

"Because, as a leader, everything is your fault."

A heavy, truly exhausted sounding sigh. "I wish…" _that you were here and would set things straight._

"I know, but I can't fly across the country out of sheer whim anymore. I'll try to be there for Thanksgiving, alright? Tell me if anything comes up."

"Alright… And Logan?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Anytime. Now I have to sprint to class before Mommy Dearest yells at me for being late again."

A small laugh. "Tell Derek I said hi."

"Sure. Take care of yourself, Tipton."

-.-

Chapter Three  
A Change In Leadership

-.-

Dwight wasn't usually one to pay attention in class. Usually, he was working a game plan for the best way to track down some sort of supernatural fiend that was endangering the school from the shadows. Today, however, was an exception. After his less-than-appealing grades last year, his mother set her foot down and told him that if his grades didn't start picking up, his rock salt stash would be greatly reduced. Dwight needed his rock salt.

So, one could imagine his irritation when a paper ball, flying somewhat discreetly, hit Dwight on the back of his head. Dwight turned and glared at Shane Anderson, who blinked innocently at every other molecule than those that belonged to his pissed prefect. Dwight carefully unwrapped the balled up paper, trying to do so as quietly as humanly possible. He frowned at the words that Shane has quickly scrawled out in his chicken scratch that he called writing.

"What?!" he suddenly exclaimed without thinking, making the entire class turn to him in their seats. Dwight shrunk in his seat in embarrassment after realizing what he did..

"Is there something you would like to add, Mr. Houston?" their Latin teacher asked stiffly. Dwight shrunk just a tad more under the heat of their teacher's harsh gaze.

"No, m'am. It's just that… this doesn't make any sense…?" he quickly said. It was a lie, obviously. Dwight had been fluent in Latin for years. It was almost a job requirement as he had to exorcise nasty spirits on an almost daily basis.

He shifted back to Shane with a shocked expression, once the teacher turned back to the board, and mouthed to him, "Is it true?" Shane nodded, his face serious. Dwight turned forward in his seat, his mind still reeling over the message.

Bailey had been replaced as prefect… Stuart voted him to be replaced… They didn't even strip Logan Wright of his prefect title even after he got into a fight with Blaine… So what had changed their minds?

-.-

"Is it true? Bailey's been replaced?" Maximilian Rodríguez, the Hanover prefect, easily caught up with Dwight in the hallway and now they were walking in complete synchronization. If Dwight wasn't already preoccupied, he would've thought it to be a bit weird.

"Yeah, apparently," Dwight sighed, running a stressed hand through his already messy hair. He didn't know why he was stressed out over this; it was Stuart's business for goodness sake! Yetr, he couldn't help that sense that there was some underlying problem beneath this. Maximilian must've sensed this as well because a suspicious frown grew on his face. He was a Day Student (now Lancaster House) in his freshman year before transferring into Hanover, but his suspicion of the antics of the boarders, especially of those in Windsor and Stuart remained. The Hanover Prefect grumbled to himself in Spanish, and Dwight knew enough Latin to guess that he was wondering to himself how and why this had happened and why now. Dwight didn't comment on it, though.

"We can ask Bailey about it later," Maximilian finally sighed in English, though he sounded concerned and very curious. They both wanted to know why but knew better to hound the now ex-prefect. "We'll see their new prefect at the next prefect meeting, whoever the hell he is…" The last part was grumbled partially to himself. "See you later, Windsor."

"You too, Hanover." Dwight turned and jumped when he practically plowed through three identical and cherub-faced freshman.

"Hi, Captain!" One of them chirped cheerfully. Dwight groaned inwardly. Christopher had gotten everyone in Windsor to call him that and it was getting on his last nerve. Unfortunately, he had to have an endless amount of patience and last nerves. Mustering all his energy, Dwight gave them a semi-forced smile.

"What is it?" The triplet's expression went blank, and he turned towards his brothers. One of them rolled his eyes.

"Remember Cory," the triplet—Dwight guessed it might be Caden—hissed. "That _incident_ that Christopher sent us here for to tell our prefect."

"That's right!" Cory nodded and turned back to Dwight, a big smile on his face. "Your room is on fire."

"_What?!_" Dwight pushed past them and raced back towards Windsor with an expression that screamed of horrible things that would befall the arsonist. He found Windsor in chaos as students rushed up and down the stairs with pots full of water. They all froze when they saw their prefect, looking like a pack of deer staring down a train's headlights. Dwight looked as if he was about to commit a massacre; however, he calmly grabbed the extinguisher off the wall and headed upstairs. Thankfully, the boys were able to connect enough neurons to get most of his stuff out of the room, and his bed was untouched. Within minutes the fire was out. The Windsors just stared. Dwight took a deep breath before yelling.

"WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK. ARSON?! _REALLY?!_ YOU COULD'VE BURNED THIS _WHOLE BUILDING DOWN_! DO YOU REALIZE HOW MUCH TROUBLE YOU COULD'VE BEEN IN?! THAT _I _COULD'VE BEEN IN?! WHAT IN THE ENTIRE HOST OF ANGELS WERE YOU _THINKING_?!"

The Windsors started talking all at once.

"Well we wanted to give you a surprise—"

"—You know, first month kind of stuff, so we found all these candles in your trunk—"

"—Not that we were snooping for food or anything—"

"—So we set up all these candles and were gonna order some sort of fancy dinner for you—"

"—But Clay here had to trip over one—"

"—I did no such thing! You're the klutz, asswipe."

"—Anyway, a candle was knocked over and… well, _fwoosh_," Shane ended, looking a little sheepish. Dwight stood there in utter silence. Shane fidgeted awkwardly. "Say something, Dwight…"

Dwight, very quietly, walked over to a couch, grabbed a pillow and pressed it into his face before screaming loudly into it. The Windsors watched in shock at their prefect's first mental breakdown. Dwight didn't stop screaming until he was lying flat on his back on the floor. Another bout of awkward silence ensued. He finally let out a heavy sigh and the Windsors stood around him, peering down with varied expressions, from concerned to nonchalant.

"Did you know that the paint that you use for your demon thing on your rug is highly flammable? You should get that checked next time," Christopher piped up after a moment of silence. Dwight leveled a menacing glare that made the junior shrink back a bit.

"Good, then I'm going to paint each and every one of your stuff to set on—" Dwight stopped his threat when a knock came at the door.

"Dwight? Are you there?" Todd Howard's voice came. The rest of what little color fell from Dwight's face and he hissed a curse under his breath.

"Dwight?" The voice was a little sterner, reminding the Windsor prefect that Howard controlled whether or not his salt shipment and other packages made it through the school's mail system.

"Coming!" Dwight called and stood up. The Windsors watched him fearful expressions. Arson was somewhat serious of an offence, enough to receive one of the nasty "-sions". Dwight took a deep breath, as he saw both Blaine and Charlie do before they had to cover yet another Windsor incident with charm and smooth lies. He gave Howard a pleasant smile when he opened the door.

"Afternoon, Mr. Howard," Dwight said pleasantly, ignoring the terrified looks of the freshman Windsors who never had been in serious trouble before. Howard nodded and looked around at the smoky entrance hall before giving Dwight a dead pan look.

"What the hell happened?" His harsh look made Dwight remember that his neck really was on the line with this one. His mind raced for an excuse—any excuse—that wouldn't result in anything going on anyone's permanent record.

"Just a small experimental mishap. We've got it under control. Windsor is very well versed in dealing with fire hazards," Dwight lied easily. Shane and Clay gave him encouraging thumbs-up and grins. Dwight shot them a pointed look, that went unnoticed by the Windsor head, and shut them up effectively. Howard gave Dwight a suspicious look, who only remained completely stoic. On the inside however, he was completely panicking. It would take one trip upstairs to see that the fire originated in his own room.

"Open some windows. Make a list of whatever is damaged," Howard finally sighed, rubbing his temple. He was getting too old for this. The House Head bestowed all of them with a final withering glare before leaving the smoky House. Dwight suddenly turned to the conspirators, who suddenly became highly interested in the specks of dust floating in the smoky sunlight.

"You heard him," Dwight said coldly, hands on hips. "Lists. Damage control. And everything fire-damaged needs to be out of this House by sundown or heads will roll!" Dwight turned on his heel and flounced to his room, trying to salvage what he could of his belongings. Dalton Academy better hope that no malignant forces tried to attack them between now and the upcoming weekend…


	4. Prefect Meeting (Part 2)

Sebastian sipped elegantly on his coffee. Yes, it was Irish Coffee, but quite frankly, he needed it. Bailey had been ignoring him for the past week, as expected, and classes were rough without him. Not a lot of people liked Sebastian's blunt and scathing personality. Except Hunter… He actually laughed at his jokes and seemed genuinely interested in his thoughts and ideas. No one else had done that for him. Not Blaine, because that hobbit never trusted him after Sebastian "accidentally" caused Kurt to trip into the school fountain last year. Definitely not that idiotic blonde that Julian did so enjoy dry humping against. Sebastian's grip on his coffee cup tightened at the thought of him.

"_Do you really think you can get him back? God, how stupid are you? He's mine and nothing you can do can change that."_

The words bounced around in his head, and an unexplainable lump formed in his stomach. He had to move on. There was no choice. Logan was right. There was nothing he could do, except..

"Sebastian! There you are. I need to run over a tentative set list for sectionals with you," Hunter came jogging up, his uniform pulled tight over his broad chest and shoulders, and sheet music fluttering in his clamped hand. Sebastian nodded, giving Hunter a breezy smile.

"Yes, of course," he said, grabbing the papers from the Warbler Captain's hand. He looked over the music thoroughly and slowly, his smile dropped into a tight line. "Hunter.. This is great, but I don't think the Warblers can pull this off. 'Three synchronized hand-springs in a row'? This is Dalton Academy, not Kramer High School."

Hunter just nodded, as if he heard Sebastian's words, but didn't seem to comprehend them. "I'm sure that with enough practice, we can," Hunter insisted, and Sebastian shot him a doubtful look, pressing his lips together. Hunter reached forward and covered Sebastian's hand with his own.

"I just need you to believe in me." Sebastian felt a shiver go up his spine and the genuine sounding wrods. He nodded and smiled at Hunter, who smiled back. If Sebastian hadn't been so enamored with the way Hunter's body shifted under his uniform, he would've noticed that same predatory and triumphant look that Hunter shot him. As if a lion had already pounced for the kill.

-.-

Chapter 3.5  
Prefect Meeting

-.-

Dwight was sprinting down the hall, practically barreling over a couple of day students. He had been so caught up in fixing Windsors' brush with arson and academic death that the prefect meeting had slipped his mind altogether. He slid into the meeting room just as the clock hit 5:15.

"You're fifteen minutes late," a stern voice said. Maximilian was setting up the last of the papers and shot Dwight a look that reminded him all too well of Dean Ramsay. "But then again, so is the new Stuart prefect."

At that exact moment, the doors slid open, as if invisible butlers had opened them. Hunter Clarington walked through and gave them a pleasant smile. "Sorry I'm late. Prefect duties."

Dwight and Maximilian nodded and took a seat at the small business type table. As they seated, Dwight could just barely hear the Hanover prefect mutter, "Blaine had never been late to a prefect meeting, and he had been Captain of the Warblers." He didn't speak up, though, or indicate anything to Hunter. The Stuart Prefect shifted in his rolling chair, ignoring Dwight, who was rocking back and forth on the chair. Typical Windsor.

"You talked of Homecoming, at the last meeting, correct?" Dwight just stared at him coldly. He stilled in his chair and leaned forward just a hair.

"Yes, Bailey took the minutes of our last meeting. I'm guessing you took the minutes from him when you took his position, correct?" Maximilian stiffened at Dwight's harsh words but didn't try to stop it. They had both be questioning it, to be honest. Losing a prefect position was highly rare, especially one who seemed to have quite a bit of support when he was voted in. Hunter, well… Hunter was smiling pleasantly.

"I guess I have to answer for the elephant in the room, don't I?" Hunter laughed pleasantly. "Don't get me wrong, Bailey Tipton could be a great prefect but not for Stuart. He's too nice, too compromising. He'd be a better Hanover prefect than Stuart. No offence, Rodriguez." Maximilian just shook his head slightly. He understood where Hunter was coming from.

"Seeing Stuart's past prefect—I mean, prefects—it was high time that they had a strong and capable prefect. Therefore, I decided to fill the role, rather than Bailey be forced to go against his inherent personality in the long run. I've seen it happen to others, and it wouldn't be good for his mental health if it happened to him. I hope you'll understand."

Dwight took a deep breath when Hunter finished his explanation.

"Sounds logical," Maximilian interjected before Dwight could speak. "I'm sure you'll have great insight for us."

Hunter smiled politely at him. "I was in a leadership role at the military academy I went to before coming here," he said, shrugging as if anyone could do it. Dwight furrowed his eyebrows. Weren't military academies for ne'er-do-good teens or those who wanted to go into the military? So why did he come here in his senior year?

"Now, shall we start on our real agenda? Homecoming?" Maximilian cut in before Dwight could speak—again. The two other prefects discussed themes for the dance while Dwight's mind drifted off elsewhere. Sneakily, he pulled out his phone and sent a quick text to Bailey.

'Meeting sucks without u. Hunter has as much personality as a pile of sand.'

His phone showed that Bailey had read the message, but after a few moments, he still hadn't responded. The meeting wrapped up quickly (though it felt like years long for Dwight), and they parted their ways. Dwight was heading back to his dorm when he heard a pair of long legs racing to catch up ith him.

"Hey, I need to talk to you," Hunter Clarington breathed, his eyes intense as he stared almost unblinkingly at Dwight. The Windsor prefect stopped abruptly and drew himself to his full height, staring his fellow prefect square in the eye.

"What?" He asked, voice not irritated, but cold. Hunter didn't even flinch, as if he was used to it. He gestured his hand vaguely in the air as if trying to create a picture of a concept that he didn't quite grasp.

"This feud between Stuart and Windsor… I understand Bailey was trying to find a truce of some kind," Hunter started, eyes narrowing a little as he analyzed Dwight's reactions. "I don't understand it, but… I do believe conflict can hinder mutual progress…. However," he stepped closer to Dwight, slowly, as if he was circling his prey. "I don't appreciate those who get in my way—good natured or otherwise. Don't think you can break me, like you did with the other prefects, with those shenanigans that you and your house pulls. I heard you were pretty nuts in your past years, Houston."

Dwight bristled a little at that last comment. It was for the common good! Hunter continued, "Though I do hope you accept me as prefect?" His smile was calm as an undisturbed lake.

"Look, I only accept you because I have to. I don't trust you, though. You're new, yet you managed to usurp a prefect that was voted in nearly unanimously. I don't know how the hell you did it, and I'm not particularly interested either. I'll accept you, but I don't think I could ever trust you."

Hunter cocked his head, and Dwight swore he saw a flash of anger—no, pure rage—flash through his eyes for a split second. Hunter closed his eyes and gave a small chuckle that sounded partially forced. "Can't trust me, huh? I guess it'll take me a while to change that, but I'm sure I can. They always come around at some point." He gave a pleasant smile back at Dwight before turning and leaving without so much of a good-bye.

Dwight felt a shiver run through his spine as he quickly walked back to Windsor. That gleam in Hunter's eyes when he was telling Dwight to watch his step, it almost reminded him of—No. This was different. There was no stalker, no death messages, no drugs, no Art Hall. He was just being paranoid… Right?


End file.
